You might remember a few years back when Nola’s restaurant hosted Gnocchi Day on the 29th of each month. Here’s a snippet from a story I wrote about the ritual in the Nashville Scene:

Gnocchi Day stems from the early part of the 20th century, when many Europeans—particularly Italians—immigrated to South America. Caught off-guard by the region’s custom of paying out salaries only at the end of the month, many Europeans living in Uruguay, Argentina and neighboring countries found themselves in the final days of the pay cycle with empty pockets, bare cupboards and hungry bellies. The solution: scour the larder for staples such as potatoes and flour to make a simple, filling dish of Italian-style dumplings. And if there’s any stale bread hanging around, make a bread pudding.